


witing tresno jalaran soko kulino

by itaidoushin



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Bathroom Sex, Blow Jobs, Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Female Dong Si Cheng | WinWin, Female Ten, Female Xiaojun, Human Hendery, Indonesian setting, Javanese Myth, Keraton Selatan, M/M, Minor Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun, Minor Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Nyi Roro Kidul, Pantai Selatan, Slow Burn, Underwater, WayV as members of Keraton Selatan, Xiaojun as Nyi, a bit - Freeform, except Hendery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:15:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24215779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itaidoushin/pseuds/itaidoushin
Summary: witing tresno jalaran soko kulinoJavanese;love comes as time goes by.Guanheng meets the love of his life on a vacation. The problem? She's an immortal warrior in an underwater kingdom halfway across the globe.#ABH106: Hendery had been alone that night, walking along a Southern Javanese beach under the moon's glow. Beware of Nyi Roro Kidul, he had heard the villagers whisper. A deity that swallowed men whole. Hendery had heard the call, had known the implications. But the moment his eyes landed on Hers, he knew that he wasn't going back.
Relationships: Wong Kun Hang | Hendery/Xiao De Jun | Xiao Jun
Comments: 31
Kudos: 66
Collections: Weishen Fest: ANYTHING BUT HUMAN





	1. njajah desa milang kori

**Author's Note:**

> to prompter, i hope this does your prompt justice! thank you for sending in this prompt, it changed my life. i tweaked it a bit after doing some research, i hope that's okay with you!
> 
> to weishenfest mods, thank you for running a second wave of this fest!!! you have done such a great job managing this fest and i am truly grateful! y'all so nice and so accommodating ily thank you so much for all the hard work you've done :')
> 
> dedicating this fic for three people whose faith in me never wavered.  
> -my beta [yaya](https://twitter.com/geueuigongju), for being the best source and beta for this particular fic: she does all the fact check and keeps them real. the genius who helped me shape this fic.  
> -my online best friend [dara](https://twitter.com/deardreamd), for unconditionally supporting me through literally everything. i love you so much!!! and  
> -my fav unnie of all time [kak ila](https://twitter.com/etetaekuk), for being in this blackhole (loving wayv) with me hehe.
> 
> [playlist for better experience](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ShCknbSEHs7TcjRBNr8wL?si=Tw7dmyJiT1OPiDvRLKlagw)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> njajah desa milang kori.
> 
>  _Javanese;_ through villages, through doors. (an idiom to express love of traveling.)
> 
> —
> 
> Guanheng accepts a free offer from his brother.

“No, I will not be a third wheel in a staycation abroad with you and your boyfriend because your other boyfriend cannot make it.”

“Not a third wheel!” Renjun insists, gripping the door handle. “I promise Jaemin and I will not publicly display any forms of affection. Please?”

Guanheng scoffs, not looking up from his phone. “You? Sure. Jaemin? Not so much.” Guanheng finally shifts on his spot from the bed to face his brother still standing in the doorway. “Why can’t you just go with Jaemin, anyway? I mean, just because Jeno’s not going doesn’t mean you have to get a replacement, right?”

“No, but the ticket is fucking expensive and we really don’t want it to go to waste. Come on, it’s a free trip. What have you got to lose?”

Not much, really, considering Guanheng has absolutely nothing to do this summer vacation. 

His brother, on the other hand, has the vacation planned down to the minute. It’s only been two weeks into summer but Renjun has gone camping, fishing, and to the amusement park. The last one he went twice, the other in a different city, because one amusement park is not enough for the summer. Guanheng thinks it’s because he’s still in the honeymoon phase of the budding relationship with his new boyfriends, but he supposes it’s nice— Renjun has always been too reserved and uptight so maybe it’s good for him that his new boyfriends are helping him let loose.

The upcoming agenda on Renjun’s schedule is to have a staycation abroad with his boyfriends, Jaemin and Jeno. They picked Indonesia because the last time Jaemin and Jeno were there, they didn’t get to experience any of the tourist attractions in the country. Since it’s summer, the two were adamant to try the tropical beach experience. 

That’s why when Jeno got a call just a few days before the trip was supposed to happen from the architecture firm he applied as an intern, announcing that he was accepted and needed to come to office as soon as possible, the three were confused on how to react to the news.

And that brought Renjun to Guanheng’s room, a mere three days away from the trip, begging so his brother would take Jeno’s spot in the trip.

“Please, ge, you’re literally not doing anything this summer.”

“That’s not going to make me agree, you know.”

“I know. I was just stating the obvious.”

Guanheng glares at Renjun. “Do you want me to go or not?”

“So that’s a yes?” Renjun’s eyes light up. 

“No.”

Renjun visibly deflates. “So that’s a no?”

A sigh escaped Guanheng’s lips. “No.” Despite the confusing answer, Guanheng knows Renjun definitely understands the underlying meaning.

He’s correct. Renjun immediately launches from his spot on the doorway to tackle Guanheng in a hug. Renjun’s never been keen on any forms of physical affection before, let alone a hug, but now he’s squeezing Guanheng tightly in gratitude and joy. 

“Thank you thank you thank you!” Renjun screams into the hug while Guanheng pats his back, gasping for breath. Renjun finally releases him, a grin stretched wide on his face.

“You won’t regret this! I promise!” With that, Renjun hugs Guanheng one last time and runs out of his room.

“I better not!” Guanheng shouts after Renjun.

Guanheng has no idea what he just got himself into.

* * *

Renjun tells him the details of the trip over dinner that night, which he invited Jeno and Jaemin over to as well.

Not unlike his boyfriend, Jaemin immediately smothers him in a hug, thanking him profusely for taking Jeno’s spot. He also promised (rather dramatically, if Guanheng might add) to not make Guanheng feel like a third wheel. Jeno looks very apologetic and was very polite about it, assuring him that all expenses are paid for and that all Guanheng needs to do is sit back and relax. 

Sensing that both Jeno and Jaemin are genuinely trying to win over his blessing as Renjun’s brother, Guanheng welcomes it all with a smile and a gratitude of his own as well. Might as well make the best out of a free trip.

The conversation over dinner is centered around the staycation. Jeno tells Guanheng about how his cousin Donghyuck arranged this trip for them because he made some friends during his time in Indonesia.

“Are you okay with beachside camping?” Jeno asks him earnestly and Guanheng almost melts from how sincere he sounds. 

“As long as I don’t have to share a tent with these two, yes, I’m all up for it,” Guanheng answers, earning a smack on his arm from Renjun. For someone so small, Renjun hits surprisingly hard.

Jaemin giggles and Jeno smiles apologetically again, telling him that it’s all taken care of. 

“What’s the name of the beach?” Guanheng asks.

Renjun immediately answers. “It’s the— wait, I don’t think I can read this correctly. I’ll just send you a link in our chat, see for yourself.” 

A few seconds later, Guanheng’s phone pings with a notification of the link Renjun sent. He clicks on it, watching he gets redirected to his browser as an article of a TripAdvisor page loads. “Sendiki Beach” pops up on the top of the page. A bit of scrolling and the page is filled with pictures of the beach. Most of the reviews are positive, complimenting the waves and camping sites. 

“So, do you like it?” Jaemin asks, a hint of hope in his eyes.

“I do,” Guanheng answers, nodding enthusiastically. 

By now, Renjun is looking a bit apprehensive, the crazed enthusiasm slipping off his face.

“Great! I’m so glad you liked it,” he starts, the hint of seriousness just enough to make Guanheng shift in his seat to pay attention, “but there’s something really important I have to tell you. About the beach.”

Renjun is serious most of the time, but Guanheng sensed something is up if he has to announce it out loud. Jaemin and Jeno are looking at him encouragingly, which unsettles Guanheng even more.

“The beach we’re going to is located in the Southern of Java. I would explain it to you but—” Renjun waves himself off, “—anyway, beaches in the Southern of Java are... infamous for a legendary mythical creature that guards the seas.” Renjun pauses to watch Guanheng’s reaction. 

It becomes evident that Guanheng doesn’t really understand half the things Renjun just said, so he sits there blinking owlishly while trying to process the information.

“I’m sorry, what?” 

Renjun sighs. “The beach we’re going to? It’s haunted.”

“How can a beach be haunted?” Guanheng asks once again, confusion still written all over his face. Before Renjun can throw a utensil to Guanheng, Jaemin holds him down while Jeno tries to explain.

“The beach is a sacred place, to the point that rules and traditions are strictly enforced, to prevent bad things happening.”

Oh. Now Guanheng gets it. But it only makes the uneasiness settle deeper in his stomach.

“Bad things like…?” Guanheng asks, not missing the subtle exchange of glances between the three boys in front of him.

Jaemin clears his throat. “Well, um. Like bad luck, disappearances, drowning… The ultimate bad thing that could happen would be, uh, death.”

“ _What_?!” Guanheng almost toppled off his seat, startled with the shocking answer. 

The three winced, although it seems like they did expect this kind of reaction. There’s nothing like the sea and a risk of losing your life to start the vacation with.

“No, no! It’s nothing like getting murdered in your sleep or anything! These deaths are caused by the waves, because they are huge and can easily sweep you in. As long as—”

“Deaths? As in, more than one? There has been more than one person that’s been consumed by the mythical creature?” Guanheng interjects, dismayed by Jaemin’s explanation.

“I mean, it sounds so much worse if you put it that way,” Renjun whines, “but none of us is going to be ‘consumed’ by the mythical creature. Besides, there’s no reason to be afraid as long as we follow the rules!”

Guanheng doesn’t seem convinced by his brother’s reasoning. Guanheng knows, as Renjun should too, from firsthand experience, that messing with stuff like myths and local beliefs are not without a grave consequence, but it’s a story for another time.

“So, you’re saying that there are logical explanations for the disappearances and deaths? Explanations that aren’t ‘abducted by mythical sea guardian’?”

Renjun sighs, a concurrent thing he’s been doing throughout the night. “No one is getting abducted, or going disappearing, or dead. Just treat the place like it’s sacred, so no cursing, no indecency, things like that. We’re going on a two-days staycation, not sacrificing ourselves for a cult.”

“Fine,” Guanheng relents after a few moments of silent contemplation, prompting Renjun’s eyes to bulge in excitement again, “fine, I trust you.”

“Awesome! We’re gonna have so much fun, this is gonna be— oh, come on! Nothing’s gonna happen to us, I promise!”

Guanheng glares at Renjun for a bit before remembering it’s not entirely his fault, and that this trip was indeed paid for and all he has to do is enjoy it.

“So, what are the rules I have to follow to avoid being eaten by the monster?”

Renjun groans.

* * *

It is great news to Guanheng that Jaemin, bless his high curiosity and inability to stay still for more than 10 minutes, researched all he can find about the mythologies surrounding the Southern Javanese beaches. The boy has spent sleepless nights looking up the supposed ‘sea guardian’, asking around on platforms and reading people’s blogs. As expected, there are not very many sources in Korean nor Chinese, but he gathers up enough information to help them be prepared.

“Wearing green is absolutely forbidden in the Southern Beaches,” Jaemin tells him the next day, when he comes over (again) to finalize some itineraries with Renjun. Guanheng looks away from the television screen.

“Okay, and?”

“So you’re not supposed to pack any green clothing there. To, you know, avoid being abducted.”

Guanheng knows that this is probably an important piece of knowledge but he lets that gloss over to the back of his mind as he answers casually, “Does this include underwear, or…?”

Renjun appeared from the kitchen. “Since we don’t want to mess with the superstitions, yes, this includes underwear. It won’t be funny if you disappear for wearing those Hulk boxers you love so much.” Renjun’s reply was so genuine that it reduced Guanheng to a sputtering mess because _no one is supposed to find those boxers._

“You— what— I don’t— I don’t _love_ it so much! Where do you— where do you even see those boxers?!” was the reply Guanheng managed to stammer out before stalking off the couch with a huff, missing Renjun’s smirk.

(Guanheng later found out there was a logical explanation for the green clothing prohibition: the seas in the Southern Javanese beaches are spectacularly green, which means if anyone wore green it would be harder to be found by the lifeguards if they had drowned. Guanheng continued stuffing his Hulk boxers deep in his suitcase.)

It turns out there are not that many other prohibitions, just the generic no cursing and bad thoughts stuff, don’t do anything that would provoke any being, be it human or not. It’s enough to calm Guanheng down. 

They depart the next day with Jeno driving them to the airport. From Seoul, the three are going to fly to Surabaya, the capital of East Java province. Then from Surabaya, they will take the shuttle bus to Malang, a small city near Surabaya that will take them to the beach. They’re going to drop their luggages in a hostel belonging to Donghyuck’s friend to repack, stay there for one night, and in the morning set out by shuttle to the beach to camp for one night.

They were welcomed by Donghyuck’s friend upon arriving in the hostel in the wee hours of the morning, immediately settling into one of the rooms. It wasn’t much, only a 4 by 6 room with two bunk beds, but it’s enough because they only have to pay half for it. The three instantly crashed into bed from exhaustion, waking up just in time for lunch. 

Donghyuck’s friend drove them around the city for a culinary trip, claiming that the city has one of the best culinary experiences a tourist could have. He told the three that while it’s not the capital of the province, it’s the province’s ultimate tourist destination because it’s surrounded by natural tourism sites. And, great food.

They leave for the beach the next day early morning, being picked up by the shuttle bus at 6.30. 

“When you’re there, don’t get lost in your thoughts,” Donghyuck’s friend warned them while helping them put their bags inside the shuttle bus. “It’s easier for them to possess you if you’re not alert.”

“What do you mean, possess?!” Jaemin’s muffled voice answers from where his head is stuck in the trunk. Guanheng, only realizing the implications of the warning, looks up. Donghyuck’s friend looks at them weirdly. 

“The beach is mystical. I thought you guys said you did your research on it?”

“But no one said anything about being possessed?! I thought we’re only supposed to watch out for the sea monsters who eat us?!” Renjun indignantly responded.

“Sea monsters who _what?_ ” 

Renjun pointed at Jaemin, whose face instantly morphed into confusion. “He said that! There’s a sea creature that’s going to abduct us.”

The shuttle bus’s driver is looking a tad bit impatient as they continue to chat. “You’re going to be late.” Donghyuck’s friend turns to face Renjun and Jaemin. “There are no sea monsters, okay? But the beach _is_ mystical and don’t get lost in your thoughts, okay? Now get on before your driver yells at me. Safe trip, guys!” Donghyuck’s friend pushes them to enter the shuttle bus before he pisses the driver even more because of stalling his passengers. 

They shuffle into their seats, waving as the shuttle bus jerks alive with the engine. It starts to move. Renjun and Jaemin have put on their earphones, enjoying the scenery outside. 

Guanheng leans back and looks out the window, giddy for another adventure waiting ahead.

* * *

It wasn’t an easy feat trying to reach the beach.

When the shuttle’s engine stuttered to a stop after a 45-minute drive, there was no beach in sight. They were only surrounded by trees: banana trees, palm trees, mangrove plants. But no sand and definitely no beach. Thankfully, Donghyuck’s friend pulled some strings way before they even reached Indonesia and assigned a guide to help them settle in. The guide’s name is Yatno, a local who speaks to them in broken English. Which, unfortunately, only Guanheng speaks the language fluently. Renjun’s English has been getting much better, but he still shoves Guanheng to the front to do all the talking.

(Jaemin said he’s been practicing but he got tongue-tied when Yatno addressed him. Renjun pats him in the back when his shoulders fall from not being able to answer.)

Although the three struggled to keep up with the agile Yatno who knows exactly where the soil doesn’t dip and where the banana leaves don’t slap him in the face, Guanheng makes it bearable by chatting with him about the beach and local culture.

“Waves very big here, Mister,” Yatno said as he skillfully dodged a muddy spot, “not careful, can drown.”

“Yes, yes!” Guanheng answered enthusiastically. “What about the, um, hey, Jaemin, who’s the sea monster’s name?”

Upon hearing his name, Jaemin looks up from gluing his eyes on the path. “What?”

“The sea monster!”

“Once again, it’s not a monster,” Renjun interjects. Guanheng merely rolled his eyes, continuing to follow right behind Yatno. 

“It’s… Roro Ki-deul? Or something? Wait, I can’t remember—”

At the mention of the name, Yatno visibly flinches. Renjun who picked up the sudden demeanor change looks curious, immediately asking about the matter to him.

“Nyi Roro Kidul… bad. Don’t try-try. Magic. Bad magic.” 

The conversation was cut short, because they finally arrived at the beach. Without waiting for Yatno, the three screamed in glee as they ran across the sand and dumped their belongings carelessly. Kicking off their sandals, Renjun and Jaemin rushed for the water and splashed each other in delight. Guanheng opts to stay on the sands, guarding their belongings as he basked under the morning sun. Yatno finally caught up to him and plopped beside him on the ground.

“Not playing water, Mister?”

“No, I’m fine. We got all day. Anyway, Yatno,” Guanheng struggles with the pronunciation of the name, “I want to ask.”

“Ask what, Mister?” 

“About the.. Roro Kidul? The sea monster. You said it’s bad.” 

Once again, Yatno visibly flinches, but this time he tries to tone it down. “Nyi Roro Kidul,” he starts, “General of Sea. No, no—” Yatno pauses to remember the term, “General of South Sea. _Keraton Selatan._ Magic sea kingdom. She very beautiful, but bad.”

Yatno looks like he really wants to say so many things, but he couldn’t convey them into words Guanheng could understand. Finally, he just settled with a very serious expression, and told him, “Nyi Roro Kidul— dangerous. Careful with waves, Mister.”

And then he left after promising Guanheng seafood for lunch, leaving him confused alone for a few minutes about what just happened before Renjun called him out from the water, drenched and looking positively glowing under the equator sun.

Pushing the matter to the back of his head, Guanheng kicks off his shoes and takes off his shirt before running to join Renjun and Jaemin in the water. Nyi Roro Kidul can wait some other time.

  
  


* * *

“Hey, where are you going?” 

Guanheng has one foot out of the tent when Renjun finally looks up from the intense Go Fish game he’s playing with Jaemin, the other wailing in distress after losing for the fifth time in a row. It’s only 9.30 in the evening but the sky has turned dark since hours ago, showing the twinkling stars they don’t get to see under the bright city lights they’re all so accustomed to.

They had dinner two hours ago around the bonfire they made beforehand, basking in the warmth as the beach wind was getting stronger by the hour. The three had opted to try a local delicacy, a Javanese black soup called rawon. Its appearance looked fishy and they were doubtful at the beginning, but it smells divine and the growling in their stomach can’t wait. It’s safe to say they all fell in love with the dish after tasting the first spoonful.

“Taking a walk, wanna join?”

Renjun’s eyes widened in surprise. “It’s hella freezing out there!”

“What? No it’s not.” Guanheng sticks his upper half out the tent, as if it’s going to help him determine the temperature outside. “It’s warm, what are you talking about?”

Right after Guanheng says that, a particularly big gust of wind enters their tent from the opened gap. Jaemin yelped as Renjun instinctively reached for a blanket to wrap around himself.

“It’s _freezing,_ close the zipper and come inside!”

Not heeding Renjun’s words, Guanheng steps outside, donning his black and green parachute jacket. “I won’t take long!” 

He zips up the tent, missing Jaemin frantically calling after him, “Ge, you’re wearing _green!”_

It is, indeed, freezing outside. The tides are high, crashing against the sand loudly. He can see the small shop where they ate earlier in the distance and the vague sounds of laughter and guitar strumming. It’s dark but the stars are clear and the moonlight provides enough illumination aside from the dim lights set up on the nearby shops.Guanheng trudges along the sand, looking up to watch the stars. His mind is empty as he kicks on the sands, walking where his feet would take him. 

Guanheng doesn’t realize when did his track begin setting for wet sands, where the water can reach him. The roar of water is getting louder as his sandaled feet dip further, but Guanheng is still lost in his thoughts.

“—run! Get away from there!” 

Guanheng looks up just in time to see that he’s reached the campsite he saw from afar, the people frantically waving and shouting. He squints, trying to see past the bonfire. 

“Mister! Get away from the water!” One of the people shouts loud enough for him to hear. It’s then that his senses come back—the harsh wind, his toes buried in the soaked sands, and the tell-tale sound of the waves pulling back into the ocean, ready to crash onto the beach, right where he is standing.

The shop looks like it’s standing on a hill from where Guanheng is. That’s when he realizes— he’s too far from the safe zone.

“Mister, run! _Run!”_

Guanheng turns right on time to see the waves rising behind him. His heart is thundering loudly in his ribcage as he wills his feet to run the fuck away. The cacophony of the howling wind, people shouting in the distance, and dark water lapping at his feet fills his ears. Guanheng runs as fast as his half-dead feet can take him, but it’s dark and he cannot see the damned coral lying innocently in front of him.

Vaguely, he can hear the gasps from the distance as he trips. He scrambles to stand and continue running, but the waves crash before he can even push himself up from the ground. 

Guanheng tries to fight the current, swim to the shore, but the sea drags him under and pulls him to the middle. Water fills his lungs as he tries to shout for help, but even in his half-drowning state he knows no one in their right mind would jump in and save him. 

His strength is decreasing rapidly but he tries to fight one more time. When he can no longer hold himself afloat, he lets himself go under, and lets the water defeat him.

 _Renjun,_ Guanheng thinks as his body falls deeper into the sea, _I’m so sorry for being an idiot._

The last thing he sees before he passes out is a pair of dark glittering eyes and a brilliant jade pendant.


	2. ala lan becik iku gandhengan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ala lan becik iku gandhengan.
> 
>  _Javanese;_ with every bad comes good with it.
> 
> —
> 
> Welcome to the Keraton Selatan.

It’s warm.

It’s warm and toasty under the blanket and Guanheng has half a mind to snuggle further into the comforting bed, until he remembers that he is supposed to be _drowning._

His eyes shot open and he sits straight up, immediately feeling an immense headache. He looks down to see that he is no longer in his jacket and trousers— his clothes when he got out of the tent and subsequently drowned. He is now wearing a striped shirt and simple pants. When the headache subsided, Guanheng didn't take his time to pay attention to his surroundings before getting on his feet, finding a pair of slippers and staggered towards the large wooden door. 

He pulls the door open. Guanheng is faced with a wooden hallway, high ceilings and crystal chandeliers. He struggles to walk upright, mind completely addled as he wobbles following wherever the hallway takes him to. 

He arrives at another large wooden door, the first one he finds. Without thinking, he pushes it open, only to be faced with what looks like a large dining room, a long golden table in the middle of the room surrounded by golden chairs.

Five heads snap in his direction. The table is only filled by three women and two men, all dressed lavishly. It seems like Guanheng is interrupting a meal— lunch, judging from the bright sunlight streaming in from the large windows around the room. Guanheng glances once to the windows and wait, are those _fishes_ swimming outside? 

He blinks and shakes his head, blaming it on his headache and expecting that it’s just a figment of his imagination. Except that there are still fishes swimming outside the window, and now Guanheng can see anemones and seaweed and good God that is a huge shark passing by.

A woman, sitting on the end of the table, stands up, glaring daggers at him. She must be the matriarch, judging by how regal and authoritative she looked. 

“Uh, hi? Sorry for bothering, but I was just, um, looking for the way out? I have no idea—”

The woman interrupts him mid-sentence, speaking in a language he doesn’t understand. Her tone sounds accusing, but he can’t be too sure. Although scolding sounds mainly the same in any language. He vaguely registers some of the local residents back at the beach speaking in the same dialect, but it sounds different. This one sounds more royal and somehow felt more archaic.

Guanheng’s head spins as he tries to smile apologetically. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying.” The pounding in his head is back.

Another woman, sitting on the right of the matriarch, opens her mouth to say something to the matriarch. Guanheng’s eyes widen when he realizes she is wearing the same jade pendant he saw before drowning. He can barely stop himself before pointing at her and gasping, “You’re the one I saw before drowning!”

Under the sunlight, Guanheng can finally see the high cheekbones, sharp jawline, and thick eyebrows that frames her face. Her face looks so regally beautiful and even though he can sense she is not the leader in the table, she has such an aura that just draws Guanheng in, unable to take his eyes off her.

Guanheng is sure he heard a snort, but can’t be too sure who it is from, because the third woman, who hasn’t spoken since he entered the room, suddenly gets up and walks towards him. Guanheng has no time to dodge her before she presses two fingers to his temple. He is paralyzed in fear as she chants quietly. She removes her fingers when she finishes.

“Can you understand me now?” she asks. 

Guanheng blinks in surprise. “Yes, how did you—?”

“Please take a seat,” the matriarch finally addressed him, although this time in a much less hostile manner. 

“Oh, no, it’s okay. I’m just looking for the—”

“Take a seat.” The woman with the jade pendant cuts him off sharply. 

He instantly shuts up and Guanheng walks towards the table, taking a seat timidly next to the tanned man on the dining table. He manages to smile a little, only returned by the man next to him. He cowers in his seat.

“What is your name?”

“I’m, uh, Huang Guanheng.”

“What is your purpose here?”

Guanheng doesn’t even know where _here_ is, but jade pendant lady answers before he could wrack his brain for a response. “He was drowning. I saved him.”

Magic language lady pipes up, raising her eyebrows, “You haven’t saved anyone in a long time.”

“I needed a soldier,” jade pendant lady shrugs imposingly, “and he was drowning.”

The matriarch glances at the two ladies before the conversation could get any further. “Very well.” She turns to Guanheng, once again addressing him. “Welcome, Huang Guanheng, to the Kingdom of Southern Sea, also known as the Keraton Selatan.”

It took Guanheng a couple of minutes to really register the words.

 _It’s not a dream_ , Guanheng thinks dazedly at the five pairs of eyes staring at him like he grew another head. _I’m still here._

The matriarch started to speak, not waiting for Guanheng to recover. “I am Queen of the Southern Sea. I have many names, and in your language I would be called Li Yongqin.” 

She gestures to the only other man present. “This is my husband. In your language, he is called Qian Kun.”

Qian Kun sits on the right of Li Yongqin the queen. He nods once at Guanheng, lips drawn in a straight line.

“This,” Yongqin continues while gesturing to the magic language lady, “is my governor, Dong Sicheng.”

Governor Dong Sicheng barely spares him a glance, staring straight ahead with a neutral expression. The aloofness shown by her is nothing compared to jade pendant lady, who emits an even more intimidating aura. Her eyes are steely and the eyebrows makes her look more stern, staring at Guanheng icily, as if to judge whether he is worth her time. Guanheng fights the urge to squirm in his seat.

Yongqin’s lips form a small smirk when she notices the way jade pendant lady looks at Guanheng. “Dejun, stop scaring our guest. After all, you did save him.”

Jade pendant lady didn’t rebut. Yongqin turns to Guanheng. “And this,” she gestures to ‘Dejun’, “is Xiao Dejun, General of the Southern Sea.”

(Jade pendant lady now has a name. Xiao Dejun, Guanheng stores the name carefully in his memory, is a warrior. That explains the sheer fierceness.)

“Lastly, our Commander who is Dejun’s second-in-command, Huang Xuxi.” Yongqin points to the man sitting next to Guanheng, offering him a small smile. Commander Huang Xuxi is the only person who remotely shows non-hostile advances towards Guanheng, so it calms him a bit.

Yongqin continues. “Sicheng will be responsible for teaching you how things go around here, before you serve your obligations to Dejun for saving you. I’m sorry for having to welcome you in such an inappropriate manner, but you _did_ barge in the middle of a meal.” She eyes him, as if saying it’s _his_ fault that he was flabbergasted in front of them from the shock.

“I’ll have someone bring you breakfast. Sicheng will accompany you during your meal.” Yongqin turns to Dejun. “Dejun, Xuxi— Kun and I will be waiting in the strategy room.” With her last remark, Yongqin and Kun get up and disappear through the huge wooden doors. 

Eying Guanheng with poorly concealed distaste, Dejun says to Sicheng, “Thank you for taking care of him,” to which Sicheng just responded by smiling and nodding. “I’ll get going,” Dejun continued. Xuxi gives him a smile and wishes him luck before following Dejun, leaving Guanheng only with Sicheng. 

When Guanheng finishes his meal, Sicheng takes him on a tour through the kingdom. It’s called a _keraton,_ which Sicheng says is the Javanese for kingdom. The kingdom is one of the oldest and arguably the most powerful in the whole of the Southern Sea, to which Guanheng asks if they are _really_ located under the sea. Sicheng stares at him before answering yes, they are _really_ under the sea right now.

“We are inside the sea. This is an underwater kingdom.”

“So, like Atlantis?” Guanheng asks.

“What?” Sicheng looks confused.

“Atlantis? It’s also an underwater— nevermind, different part of the world. Anyway,” Guanheng clears his throat, “if we’re under the sea, why aren’t we… wet?”

“Magic, of course,” Sicheng answers easily, like that explains everything. Guanheng thinks there’s no use asking more questions.

They came from the main ward, a huge pavilion with gold coating and filled with artifacts, where all the most important rooms of the kingdom reside. The place looks very ancient, like it has been there for thousands of years.

Guanheng has never stepped foot into any kingdom before, or palace, for that matter— he has never even been to Forbidden City. He figures that it must be different than here, but here in the Kingdom of the Southern Sea, everything is just so grand and magical. In its most literal sense.

“You were saved by the General of the South Sea. According to the law, you have to serve her until she deems your service for her is complete,” Sicheng says as they walk through the hallways, reaching an open area that looks like a courtyard. There are trees growing from the ground, which is solid soil and not… sand? It’s a beautiful courtyard, with bushes of flowers and big trees, shielding them from the afternoon sun.

“What do you mean, serve her?!” Guanheng stops completely, prompting Sicheng to also stop. She levels him with a look.

“Provide her with help for whatever she needs. The past ones became her soldiers, but since we are currently not at war, it’s all up to her.”

Guanheng breathes out an exaggerated sigh. “God, I thought I would have to, like, be a concubine, or something.” He shudders at the thought.

Then, Sicheng laughed. It is abrupt and in disbelief, startling Guanheng. “Dejun would never do that,” Sicheng says once her laughter subsided, “she took an oath.”

“An oath?”

“To never marry men who are beneath her in terms of knowledge and strength. It extends to any kind of relationship. She’s not into any, for that matter, because being a warrior is her whole life. She was raised to put the Keratonfirst.” 

“How long would the service be? What happens after I finish my service?”

“Time works differently here.” Sicheng says, a twinkle in her eyes. “You will be returned to your land, alive and well. Unless somehow you got yourself killed in this realm, in which case, there’s no returning.” 

They arrived in front of another large wooden door outlined with gold. Guanheng’s eyes bulged and he felt his lungs drop to his stomach at the mention of “killed” and “no returning”. 

He was about to protest when Sicheng pushed the door in front of them open and all traces of turmoil inside of Guanheng immediately dissipated. He lets out a gasp from the view in front of him.

“This,” Sicheng gestures to the room, “is our throne room.”

There is only one word to describe the throne room and it is _majestic._ The walls are covered with dark green velvet with gold ornaments and the floor is made out of green marble. The throne is on another level of impressive: it is sitting on a marble floor higher than the ground, practically shining with all the gold that covers it and gemstones are lining its intricate outer part. 

Dark green rug expands from the throne down to the door at the end of the room, with pillars on either side of it supporting the high ceiling from where a golden chandelier hangs. It was so beautiful and otherworldly that Guanheng just stood there dumbfounded with his mouth hanging open. 

“This is so cool!”

“Thank you,” Sicheng says, smiling in something akin to pride from the simple compliment, “Ten designed it herself. She has an eye for these kinds of things.”

Guanheng scrunches his eyebrows in confusion. “Ten?”

Sicheng blinked before realizing. “Oh! Ten is Yongqin. It’s her nickname. Sometimes we also call Dejun by Xiaojun, just to be funny. The neighboring kingdoms call her that too. But I would advise you not to.”

The two leave the throne room not long after, during which Guanheng asks why there are so few people in the kingdom if it’s, well, a kingdom. Sicheng smiles and patiently explains that all the help around are _dedemit._

“ _Dedemit_ are naturally evil spirits, but here they bow down to the Queen and the _keraton_ members, so they are tame and their loyalty lies with Ten and the Keraton _._ ”

Although a bit rattled by the ‘naturally evil spirits’ part, Guanheng asks another question. “Are they invisible or something?”

“Oh, they’re not. You just can’t see them because you are a mortal. I do have a second-in-command who isn’t a _dedemit_ , I’ll introduce you to him later.”

They do bump into Sicheng’s second-in-command not long after, when they’re in the library.

The person in question looks younger than Guanheng, boyish face with hair falling into his eyes. He was in the middle of reading a book when the two entered the library and Sicheng greeted him.

“This is Liu Yangyang, my second-in-command,” Sicheng introduced the boy. The boy, Yangyang, grins and stretches his hand out to shake his. Pleased by the welcoming and cheerful demeanor, Guanheng grins back and shakes Yangyang’s hand.

“Yangyang, this is Guanheng, Dejun’s newest rescue.” On the mention of Dejun, Yangyang’s eyes light up in something akin to mischief.

“Oh, so this is the boy?” Yangyang asks Sicheng, still with that blinding grin. Sicheng shoots him a wary look before answering, “Yes. Guanheng will have the room next to yours, so please help him settle down.”

“On it, Boss!”

The two leave the library after Sicheng asks Yangyang how the research is going, whatever research it is, and Yangyang says they are on track. Outside, the sky is turning darker as the two continue to the last part of the tour. Sicheng brings Guanheng to see his room, which is located on the east wing of the keraton. She leads them to a considerably smaller corridor, lit by torches on both sides of the wall, arriving at a row of doors. 

“This is where you will sleep. Dinner will be delivered at 8 PM every evening, breakfast at 6 AM every morning and your clothes are in the closet. Yangyang’s room is next door, you can always ask for his help. Dejun will be waiting for you in the strategy room at 6.30 AM tomorrow morning. Try not to be late, she hates tardiness.”

Guanheng looks around the room. It doesn’t look too bad: the bed is single and there is a door that leads to its own bathroom. A wooden analog clock hangs over the door and there is a desk, a closet, and a window overlooking the seas outside. 

_Literal sea,_ Guanheng has to remind himself as he watches a flounder swim by from the glass panel, _I am literally inside the ocean._

Sicheng looks a bit apologetic as she continues, “I’m sorry we couldn’t give you the guest bedroom, especially since you’re the only one who Dejun saved in a decade so you must be important enough, but it is the rule.”

Guanheng truly doesn’t know how to respond to that, so he stays silent as he takes in the view in front of him. Sicheng pats him on the shoulder, a silent offer of comfort. The clock shows the time as 7.50 PM.

“I should get going,” Sicheng says as she leaves the room. She pauses at the doorway for a moment and turns to look at him. There is something in her eyes, a mix of pity and wonder and curiosity. 

“There is something about you, Guanheng,” she says softly, “I don’t know what it is, but Dejun saw it. I hope it’s enough to help you survive." 

Sicheng exits his room, leaving Guanheng alone trying to figure out what she meant.

Being left alone again, a million things run through Guanheng’s mind to comprehend what the actual fuck is happening to him. He is currently in an underwater, mythical kingdom because he fucking drowned. It’s like entering an alternate universe, except all the legends and hushed stories are real. It’s not even in his culture, nothing he even knew the existence about.

But amidst all the chaos of being thrown into another realm, Guanheng can’t take his mind off Dejun. Remembering his conversation with Yatno and all the research Jaemin and Renjun did, he deduces that Dejun is Nyi Roro Kidul, the supposed sea monster who guards the seas. Who is in reality a gorgeous female warrior of an underwater mythical kingdom.

Guanheng is completely entranced by her, ever since he first laid eyes on the general. Aside from being insanely beautiful, she has an alluring charm that draws and hooks him in. They haven’t even exchanged a lot of words, but Guanheng feels his stomach lurch every time he remembers the way she looks at him. Granted, it was of something akin to callousness, but maybe that’s what’s so attractive about her.

Crushing on a mythical being probably isn’t the best course of action, but then again, Guanheng has always been one for bad decisions.


	3. diobong gak kobong, disiram gak teles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> diobong gak kobong, disiram gak teles.
> 
>  _Javanese;_ burned not burnt, watered not wet. (an idiom to express a person's tenacity.)
> 
> —
> 
> An expansion to the Borneo peninsula.

The next morning went by in almost a blur. Guanheng was startled awake with a knock on his door, which turned out to be his breakfast. He didn’t catch anyone who might have delivered it, but remembering Sicheng’s words, he probably couldn’t see them even if they were still around. He mumbles a ‘thank you’, hoping someone (or something, he’s not sure which) heard him and proceeds to eat.

He is halfway through his bowl of porridge when he glances up at the clock and sees that it is almost 6.20 AM, while he should be meeting Dejun at 6.30 in the strategy room where he has absolutely no idea where it is. The keratonis huge and he cannot for the life of him remember if he’s even seen the strategy room.

So Guanheng spent his morning frantically shoveling down his breakfast and showering, coming out of his room with wet hair and running through the kingdom while trying to remember where the strategy room is. He arrived there ten minutes later with the help of Kun who found him lost and gasping for breath, and directed him to the correct room. It turns out that everyone, including Yangyang, is already inside. 

Guanheng mentally smacks himself upside the head for entirely forgetting that Yangyang, a completely available help, is sleeping next door and he can always knock on Yangyang’s door for directions. And then he wants to smack Yangyang upside the head for not reminding him about this morning’s appointment with Dejun.

Speaking of whom—

“You’re late,” Dejun’s voice greeted him the moment he barged in through the door. “And enter with manners, will you?”

“It’s okay, Dejun, he’s with me,” Kun answers. He takes a seat next to Ten and Guanheng slips into the last seat available, which is next to Yangyang.

“Dude, why didn’t you wake me up?” Guanheng hisses to Yangyang. The latter doesn’t answer, only grinning at him. The urge to smack Yangyang is back.

Dejun rises from her seat on the head of the table. With her hair not up in a bun like how Guanheng met her yesterday, Dejun looks even more stunning. The length of her hair cascading down her back accentuates her long neck, adorned by the jade pendant. It also made her face look sweeter, softening her hard lines and sharpness that is made up with her fierceness. Guanheng really can’t take his eyes off her.

“Good morning, everyone. Today I have gathered all of you here for the discussion of our expansion to the Borneo peninsula, which we have been planning to do. As you can see on the table, we have a map of the Nusantara.” Dejun gestures to the table, on which Guanheng just noticed lies a map with pawns on it. He doesn’t recognize the expanse of area drawn on the map nor did he understand half the words that came out of Dejun’s mouth.

To Dejun’s right, Xuxi got up from his seat and started moving the pawns. “The Borneo peninsula has 3 major kingdoms: the Paloh Kingdom, Pangeran Agung kingdom, and the Ketapang kingdom. Geographically speaking, the Paloh kingdom and Ketapang kingdom are very close. It would be better for us to expand to one of these kingdoms, because their relationship will make it easier for future expansions.”

Once again, Guanheng has not a single clue on what Xuxi is talking about. But Dejun is looking at him now, rather harshly, so he tries to school his expression into one of understanding. He tries to ignore the small voice in the back of his head that sounds eerily like Renjun cackling and saying, “gege has a cruuush!”

By now, Sicheng also rose from her seat. Yangyang hands her a roll of parchment, which she opened on the table.

“I have news from the Ketapang kingdom regarding their economic situation. Their governor has stated in this letter that they are currently in a monetary crisis from an internal uproar and have seeked help from the neighbouring kingdom.”

Dejun and Xuxi exchange glances. “When did this letter arrive, Sicheng?”

“Last night. I had thought it was important to bring it up during today’s discussion.”

Dejun sighs. “It is, thank you for your consideration. In light of recent events, our plans need to be changed soon. We were targeting an expansion to the Paloh kingdom but since they will have their hands full with the Ketapang, I doubt they will heed our advances.”

“What about the Pangeran Agung kingdom?” Ten asked.

“Dejun has asked me to do a prior research regarding the kingdoms, and Yangyang found that the kingdom is also in a political crisis, as their king and firstborn just died in a war. That was why Dejun didn’t choose it in the first place, but recent news told us that the second born’s coronation took place last week.”

“Won’t it be easier to establish an alliance with them now that they have a new ruler?” Kun said. “They will certainly need help from a powerful ally like us since they’ve just recovered from the crisis.”

“It’s true,” Dejun said, “and aside from the crisis, they’re a potential target for expansion because their military is more powerful than us and they have natural resources we don’t.”

“Very well,” Ten said, “General, execute the plan as soon as possible.”

Dejun nods in acknowledgement of Ten’s approval. Guanheng sits there the entire time, not knowing a single thing they were saying, nor was he trying to understand. But it was very interesting to watch the dynamic of a kingdom’s officials right in front of his eyes, especially watching Dejun do her thing up close, being the actual general that she is, which makes him more in awe of her each passing second.

Guanheng is busy watching Dejun give orders for Xuxi and Sicheng to carry out regarding the expansion when suddenly she turns to him. 

“Guanheng,” she said, “you are now under Xuxi’s apprenticeship. You will be taught how to fight and be a soldier of the Keraton Selatan, and your services will be called out when needed.”

To say Guanheng is startled by the announcement is an understatement. “A soldier? How to fight? But I’m— I don’t even know how to play Overwatch. How am I supposed to learn?!” He rambled, fueled by the shock. 

From the corner of his eye he can see Yangyang wincing as if he just did something unforgivable, which in hindsight it kind of was because he doesn’t think that’s how you’re supposed to talk to a royalty in front of other royalties.

The regret comes instantly after. He scrambles to apologize to Dejun and Xuxi while Ten, Kun, and Sicheng watch in amusement, but the look of bottled-up rage on Dejun’s face is enough to make him stop.

Dejun puts up her hand, signaling him to shut up. “I do not care.” Dejun turns to Xuxi. “He is under your supervision. You will be responsible to teach him to be a soldier of the Keraton. I trust you on this.”

Dejun pauses. “It’s him I don’t trust.” She continues, glancing at Guanheng. The gesture was subtle but it pierced right through Guanheng’s chest, and a mix of shame, anger, and guilt builds up inside of him as he watches her walk away from the room. One by one, the rest follows suit.

“Did you just—” Guanheng struggles not to let his voice shake from the anger, “did you see that? Does she hate me or something?” He asks Yangyang and Xuxi, the only people left inside the room. Yangyang gives him a look of pity while Xuxi pats him on the back. He gets out of his seat to trail after Xuxi, who is going to “train” him, whatever that means.

They arrived on a large clearing with military training equipment and Guanheng can positively say that he’s fucked.

“Dejun doesn’t hate you, but she sure as hell doesn’t like you either. Are you willing to change that?”

“Yes, of course!” Guanheng answers with passion. Xuxi looks at him solemnly and rests a hand on his shoulder.

“Alright then,” he says. “Welcome to your first lesson to be a Keraton soldier.”

* * *

“You look like complete shit.”

“Thank you, Yangyang, now can you open the door for me, please? I don’t think I can lift my fingers.”

Yangyang snorts, opening Guanheng’s door to his room and leans on the door frame, watching as Guanheng staggers inside his room bathed in sweat and grime and whatever kind of mud that is stuck on his front side. He just finished day 4 of military training with Xuxi and he feels like his muscles just melt and his bones rattle with every effort to move them.

“What was today’s training?” Yangyang asks. Guanheng groans, struggling to open the door to his bathroom. “Crawling? And shooting? And physical training in general? Whatever it was, I literally can’t feel my toes right now.”

The sound of Yangyang’s laughter echoes as the bathroom door finally shuts behind Guanheng. He scrubs away the dirt sticking on his skin, savoring the hot water pouring over him. It does quite a good job to wash away the tiredness as well. When he comes out of the bathroom, thankfully fully clothed, Yangyang is sitting on his bed eating his dinner without a care in the world. Guanheng yelps in surprise, to which Yangyang doesn’t react.

“What are you doing here?!” Guanheng asks after he recovers from the hard bump his head got. 

“Eating dinner,” Yangyang answers easily. Guanheng groans and settles on the desk, his own dinner in front of him.

“Yes, I get that, but why in my room? And on my bed?!”

“Relax, I won’t get it dirty. I just wanted to spend time with Xiaojun’s newest rescue.” Yangyang says with a wiggle of his eyebrows and the mischievous glint in his eyes does nothing to calm Guanheng’s nerves. Dejun and Xuxi are going to depart early in the morning tomorrow to the Pangeran Agung kingdom, where they will be presenting the offer of alliance. Because of that, Guanheng is left in the care of Sicheng and subsequently Yangyang for the next few days until they return.

“So,” Yangyang asks casually, “on a scale of ‘blinded by her beauty’ to ‘wanting to spend the rest of your life with her’, how hard are you crushing on Xiaojun?”

Guanheng instantly chokes on the coconut rice that is his dinner, coughing as he reaches for the glass of water to wash the rice stuck in his throat down. Yangyang pats on his back a few times but it doesn’t give any help. When Guanheng glares at him post-choking, Yangyang flashes him a blinding grin with no sense of remorse. He still looks like he expected an answer, though. 

“I don’t have a crush on Dejun, thank you very much.” Even hearing it come out of his own mouth sounds like a lie. The blush creeping up his cheeks should also give it away.

A snort was heard from Yangyang. “One, you’re as red as tomato now. Two, everyone has a crush on her, even if it’s just in passing. Three, dude, really? You’re about as subtle as a cow in the sea with all the sparkly lovestruck eyes and trying too hard.”

“Hey! I don’t _have_ sparkly lovestru— wait, trying too hard?” 

“To be fair, Dejun does look quite amused by your efforts.” Yangyang pauses eating, ignoring Guanheng's question. “And I’ve never seen her quite like this before, so I guess your efforts are getting somewhere.”

It’s Guanheng’s turn to pause. “Like this?”

“Enamored. By a mortal. She’s not usually this harsh, you know.”

“What’s she like usually, then?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Yangyang teases Guanheng. He does end up telling stories of Dejun, though, her personality and what’s underneath all the cold and untouchable facade. Yangyang tells him that Dejun was raised by Ten herself, found as a baby floating on the seas, hundreds of years ago. She is a descendant of a goddess and Ten sensed it in her, taking her in to care for. She’s strong, a natural fighter, hard headed with her heart in the right place. She’s hard on herself, even harder than Ten was to her, and she eventually earned her title as the General of the Southern Sea.

“She doesn’t ever crack when people teaser her. It’s like she has the emotional endurance of a rock.”

“I don’t know if that’s supposed to be a compliment or not.”

“Of course it is! Xiaojun is tough as hell. I’m sorry that she’s so hard on you, she was just doing her job. And you’re technically a guest, so she can’t let her guard down around you. But if it makes you feel better, it's obvious that she genuinely thinks you’ve got it.”

“It?”

Yangyang flails his hand in an incomprehensible gesture, trying to make a point. “Yeah, _it._ Like, you have what _it_ takes? My point is, Dejun doesn’t save anyone if she doesn’t see something in them. She has a very good judgement of character and to be honest? I think you’re her best rescue so far.”

If Yangyang notices the redness on the tip of Guanheng’s ears, he doesn’t say anything. But then his expression turns serious and his voice loses all the joking lilt.

“Just remember one thing,” he says, staring straight at Guanheng, “it’s never going to work out.”

Although he knows where the conversation is going, Guanheng acts like he doesn’t understand, even when he feels his heart crushed inside his chest. “What do you mean?”

“You know full well what I mean, Guanheng.”

The worst part is, Guanheng does. He understands entirely the implications of Yangyang’s words, of his heedings. No matter how much he wants it to be real, it won’t ever be simply because they exist in different worlds. Who is Guanheng kidding, really? 

Yangyang gets off Guanheng’s bed, taking his empty plate of dinner with him. He opens the door to Guanheng’s room and turns back one last time. 

“My piece of advice? Stay alive."

The door closes behind him with a click.


	4. rawe rawe rantas, malang malang putung

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rawe rawe rantas, malang malang putung.
> 
>  _Javanese;_ barriers eradicated, obstructions cut down. (an idiom to express overcoming hardships.)
> 
> —
> 
> A contest?

It’s two days later when Guanheng and Yangyang found Sicheng in her study, pacing back and forth. An opened scroll of parchment was lying on the table while the governor looked anxious. In the whole week Guanheng has been here, Sicheng has never looked the slightest bit rattled, not even once. Even Yangyang said so too: Sicheng would even remain calm in an earthquake situation.

Something must be such an important matter for her to be so restless. She doesn’t even realize the two have entered the room until Yangyang clears his throat.

“Governor, you summoned us,” he said, earning Sicheng’s attention. Sicheng’s head snaps up. Her eyes are wide and her lips are pressed into a thin line.

“Have a seat, boys,” Sicheng said as she sits behind her desk, Guanheng and Yangyang taking the seats in front of her. Sicheng holds up the parchment.

“This letter came in last night. It’s from Xuxi.” Even her breathing seems ragged, Guanheng notices. She hands the parchment over to Yangyang. “Read it.”

Guanheng immediately leans in in curiosity as Yangyang scans his eyes over the parchment, but it’s written in characters that he cannot read, so he sits back and waits until one of them explains it to him. The color from Yangyang’s face drained as his eyes trail lower on the scroll, and when he returned the parchment to Sicheng, he sported the same expression of panic as Sicheng does.

“What is it?” Guanheng whispers to Yangyang. He doesn’t answer. Instead, he addresses Sicheng.

“Governor,” Yangyang asks, nervousness seeping into his voice, “what are we gonna do?”

“It’s okay, Yangyang. I thought about this last night, but I need your opinion before I bring it to Ten.” Sicheng faces Guanheng, a somber expression on her face. “Guanheng, your time to serve Dejun has come.”

* * *

Ten practically jumps to her feet when she sees Sicheng, Yangyang, and Guanheng walk through the door. Kun also looks apprehensive on his throne next to Ten’s. Sicheng hurriedly kneels on the base of the throne, Yangyang and Guanheng following behind her. 

“Your Majesty,” Sicheng starts, “we propose a solution.”

“Present it, Sicheng.” Ten answers impatiently.

“The letter from Xuxi states that Pangeran Agung’s king asked for Dejun’s hand in exchange for expansion on Keraton Selatan’s behalf. The king had stated that he wishes to have Dejun as his wife, or no expansion at all. He gave her two days to think about her answer. Xuxi said that initially Dejun wanted to turn down the request immediately, seeing as he is in no way on par with Dejun’s power, but thankfully he convinced her to wait until they hear your opinion, My Queen.”

Guanheng can’t stop his hands from shaking and even though the sun hits him directly on the side of his body, his whole body is cold. Yangyang gives him an encouraging glance but it doesn’t give him the reassurance he needs. 

“Continue.”

“Dejun could have turned down the proposal herself, based on her oath, but it would close any future opportunities of alliance with the Pangeran Agung kingdom, because it would be offensive to their king and could spark any unwanted tension with us. But Kitab Piwulang1 stated that a member of the Keraton is allowed to arrange a contest to determine the fittest candidate of their future spouse.”

“Wait,” Kun stops Sicheng, “Dejun is not a bloodline of the Keraton. Is this law applicable to her?”

Sicheng’s smile blooms upon hearing Kun’s question. “Indeed, my King, the General is not a descendent of the Keraton nor is she related by blood to the Keraton. But by virtue of her position in the Keraton’s military, Xiao Dejun is considered as a member of the Keraton, and therefore this law is applicable to her.”

“Sicheng, are you saying that Dejun should hold this contest right now just so Pangeran Agung’s king is defeated fair and square?”

“That is true, Your Majesty.”

Ten narrows her eyes. “But then we only have one candidate for this contest. No one in Nusantara has ever had the courage to ask Dejun’s hand in marriage before and I doubt that she wants to get married now.”

Guanheng feels beads of cold sweat rolling down his face. He wishes the ground would just open and swallow him whole. He balls his hand into a fist to stop it from shaking so much.

“That is true, My Queen, but we have specifically designed this contest to be in our favor.” 

Guanheng’s hand trembles as he raises it. “I’m the other candidate, Your Majesty.”

For a few long seconds, the throne room is completely silent, thick with tension. Guanheng is afraid that Ten or Kun would laugh at him, mock his fake bravery, for even suggesting that he could win Dejun’s heart. Sicheng had told him this is just a setup, an arrangement so that Dejun could get out of it without starting a war, but Guanheng feels like this is the one opportunity he will ever have to remotely impress Dejun, even though he knows he will never end up with her.

When Sicheng proposed this idea to Yangyang and him back in her study, Guanheng had laughed. He thought that it was a joke, because there is no way in hell he is going to beat an actual king for the affections of a warrior who hates him for no apparent reason but unfortunately he has a crush on.

Except that neither Yangyang nor Sicheng had joined in, looking dead serious as they waited for his answer. They genuinely believed that he, Huang Guanheng, a mortal who drowned because of his own stupidity, can defeat a ruler of a magical underwater kingdom after one week of “training”.

Not to discredit Xuxi because his training regime is ruthless, but quoting the lady herself, it’s himself he doesn’t trust.

Apparently, this distrust is not felt by Ten nor Kun, because their sighs of relief can be heard loud enough that Guanheng lifts his head in disbelief. Sicheng smiles widely and Yangyang looks like he wants to give a big hug to Guanheng in relief, but they all stay rooted in their spots. 

“Well, what are we waiting for? We have a contest to hold!”

* * *

Guanheng is fucking terrified.

In just a few hours he’s going to go into a war arena, completing tasks against a mythical royalty being, for the hand of the one person he will never ever get. 

Today was his last day of training, the most gruesome of all. He succeeded to crawl, shoot, throw javelin, and won a one-on-one sword fight with Xuxi. The last one earned him a respectful bow and a bone-crushing hug (quite literally, Guanheng thinks he might have gotten a broken rib or two from the training and from Xuxi’s hug).

Ten and Kun invited him and Yangyang to have dinner at the dining room, to wish him luck for the contest tomorrow. It was a delightful dinner, lavish meals set out on the table for them to finish. Guanheng has never tried any of the foods before in his life, but they look delicious and so mouthwatering. Everyone was in a good mood tonight, excited for the contest and the fact that they all have unwavering faith in Guanheng warms his heart and lifts his spirits. Even Dejun smiles at him and wishes him luck.

He was so starstruck that she addressed him in a less-than-hostile manner that he sat there for a full minute, gaping like a fish. Yangyang choked himself laughing so hard and Xuxi snorted water out of his nose, that even Kun and Sicheng, who are the most reserved people in the kingdom, laughed out loud. 

The dinner ended with a toast from Ten, whose good luck speech was so warm that it brought him to almost tears from the sheer amount of support.

A few hours had passed since they all retreated to their rooms, but Guanheng lay on his bed unable to sleep, restless from the nerves.

The clock in his room tells him that it’s 1 in the morning when he sneaks out of his room, walking aimlessly until he reaches the courtyard he saw during his first day there. Even though they are underwater, Guanheng can still see the moonlight so clearly. It’s so peaceful at night, being alone, and Guanheng takes time to really bask in the silence.

He doesn’t realize that someone has joined him on the bench he is sitting on and nearly yelps when he finds Dejun sitting next to him in her sleeping attire.

She looks even more beautiful under the moonlight and Guanheng has to remind himself to breathe.

“I’m sorry, General, I didn’t know you’d be here. I’ll just— I’ll just, uh, go, and good night, General.” He stutters out an apology as he rises from his seat, tripping over his own feet in an attempt to bow to Dejun. And then he hears a soft laugh _,_ which sounds so fucking cute and adorable and Guanheng cannot believe that Xiao Dejun is capable of making a sound like that.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to go. Would it be okay if I sit with you?” Dejun asks, looking up to Guanheng. Tongue-tied, Guanheng can only respond with a nod and stumbles back into his seat. He cannot relax though, like there is an unspeakable tension between the two, although Dejun doesn’t seem nearly as uncomfortable as Guanheng is feeling.

It’s silent for a few beats and tension bleeds slowly from Guanheng when he sees Dejun so relaxed, enjoying the nighttime scenery.

“I don’t hate you, you know.” Dejun says softly, eyes staring far ahead. It was so soft that Guanheng barely caught what she said, but he hears it anyway. He turns to look at her, unable to speak from the speechlessness.

“And I appreciate everything you’ve done here. You have a good heart.” This time, she turns to look at him. Her expression is wistful and sad, and for the first time, Guanheng sees Xiao Dejun and not the General of the Southern Sea.

Dejun looks so small and raw, like she’s left behind the high walls that have been keeping people from seeing underneath the surface of her warrior persona. Even in this state, Dejun is composed and calm and Guanheng is so entranced by the peacefulness radiated by her. She looks up, staring at the moon.

“I have… never experienced love before. Not the kind Ten and Kun have. Since little, I was raised to fight for the Keraton, to put my kingdom before me. And I genuinely love doing it. Keraton Selatan, the people in it, they are my family and I would do anything for them. So I made an oath.”

The oath. The one where Dejun swore she would not marry a man whose powers and knowledge are lesser than her. Guanheng isn’t sure where the conversation is going, but he thinks he’s content just listening to Dejun speak.

“In that oath, I only swore not to marry someone beneath me. I didn’t swear off relationships, or romantic feelings. I did that on my own, because I didn’t think it was as important as defending my family and home. And then… Then came you.”

Guanheng’s heart was beating so fast that he’s sure Dejun could hear it. He stares, wide-eyed, at the implication of her words. Dejun chuckles seeing his expression and smiles. God, Guanheng is going to die even before the contest. One second his heart is trying to jump out of his chest and the next it literally skips a beat.

Guanheng swears there is nothing more beautiful than Dejun’s smile. It was only a small smile, to show that she was amused, but it was so sincere and sweet and instantly made her whole demeanour change. Guanheng wonders why she doesn’t smile as much because it is the single most beautiful thing he has seen in his life.

“I didn’t know why I saved you. Sicheng was right, I haven’t saved anyone in over a decade. But I wanted to save you. And I’m glad I did, because for the first time in my immortal life, I finally know how being in love feels like.”

Dejun laughed. It’s like music to Guanheng’s ears. “I came out of my room because I couldn’t sleep and wanted to get some air, but then I saw you here and I… I just want to wish you luck for tomorrow. So, good luck, Guanheng. I believe in you.”

Dejun glanced for the last time at the moon and got up from her seat. Guanheng can’t do anything but let his eyes follow her movements, but it startles him when she stops in front of him. Slowly, Dejun leans down and plants a soft kiss on Guanheng’s cheek. The smell of jasmine envelops him as her lips linger on his cheek. When she pulls back, Guanheng can see the faint blush on her cheeks, aided by the moonlight. 

“Good night, Guanheng. Rest well.” With that, Dejun leaves him alone with his thoughts and the hammering in his chest.

Guanheng is still in a daze when he returns to his room not long after, still smelling jasmine although the courtyard has no jasmine trees. 

He closes his eyes and dreams of glittering eyes, long dark hair, and a green pendant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Kitab Piwulang: codified law that consists of Pituduh (Command) and Wewaler (Prohibition). Back


	5. bibit, bebet, bobot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bibit, bebet, bobot.
> 
>  _Javanese;_ heredity, wealth, quality. (an idiom to express the aspects to be paid attention in picking a spouse.)
> 
> —
> 
> Fighting for the General's love.

Red. 

Everything is red.

For a second, everything is silent except for the ringing in his ears. Guanheng lays flat on his back, the rough concrete scratching his back through the thin material of his clothes. He can feel the beginning of a bruise on his face and his body feels like it just had been hit by a truck.

Guanheng is in the middle of the fifth and last battle of the contest, a hand-to-hand combat. His opponent, the Pangeran Agung king, was in the lead for the first two battles, which was a battle of strength and power. The fact that he almost caught up in those two battles were enough to fuel his adrenaline, but he still needs to win in order to, well, win the contest. The next battles were of strategy and agility, which completely works in Guanheng’s favor, because even though he’s skinny and not really powerful, he’s light on his feet and is aided by his quick-thinking skills. He evens out the score by the end of the fourth battle. 

Now tied 2 by 2, the ultimate winner will be determined by the last battle, which is a combination of all qualities that have been tested: strength, power, strategy, and agility. Dejun herself had said that hand-to-hand combat is a form of art in and of itself, because all the skills of a person and more will be put to the test.

Truth be told, Guanheng has never been one to fight, let alone be a fighter. His combat skills are solely acquired from playing Tekken with Renjun, which to be fair he never lost, but he doubts that would be enough to defeat this opponent and save the whole kingdom.

Thankfully, Xuxi taught him how to fight during their military training. Xuxi is much bigger than him and the first time they sparred he knocked Guanheng down in 3 seconds flat, but Guanheng has gotten much better since then. He even managed to beat Xuxi twice, although the first one was because he tripped on his own feet trying to fix his stance and ended up whacking Xuxi’s nose. The second one he won fair and square and Xuxi congratulated him, deeming him ready for the battle.

The rules of the combat were simple: no magic and no life-threatening moves. The objective is to knock your opponent out for ten seconds on the ground and you’re declared the winner. 

The ringing in Guanheng’s ears are gone and he can hear Xuxi’s voice faintly counting to ten. His sight clears up and everything comes crashing back to him— the battle, the unending full-offense strategy his opponent rained down on him, and the dodge that was too late that finally his opponent’s fist connected with his jaw and he crashed to the ground.

“...six, seven, eight—”

Guanheng scrambles to his feet, stumbling as he takes a stance. “I’m up! I’m okay!” He yells and Xuxi stops counting, trying to hide his upturned lips in encouragement. As a referee and the official of the contest, Xuxi has to remain impartial and show no support to any of the contestants. Sicheng and Yangyang, however, don’t extend the same courtesy and he can hear them sighing loudly in relief all the way from the spectator’s seat. Yangyang is about to holler when Sicheng pulls him down back to his seat, effectively shutting him up.

Unfortunately, the sound of booing and yelling from the Pangeran Agung kingdom’s entourage are heard next. The spectators came all the way from Borneo to provide their king with support and so it was a whole commotion when they arrived at the Keraton Selatan this morning. 

Guanheng faces his opponent. He’s big and muscular, just like Xuxi, and in comparison, Guanheng looks like he doesn’t stand a chance. But as all Achilles are, this one must have a weak spot.

“You’re lanky and to be honest, your hits are not powerful. But you’re agile and observant, so you have to use it to your advantage,” Xuxi says during one of their first lessons. He taught Guanheng to keep a distance and to be on defense as his main strategy.

So Guanheng observes. It was clear from the beginning that his opponent’s strategy is to attack relentlessly, and attacking is way more tiring than dodging. While Guanheng is busy avoiding his punches, he’s busy throwing them and it’s going to drain him more energy by the end of the battle.

Another thing that is obvious is that his focus is always on the upper body parts. Even though he must have grown up with military training, what with being a king and all, Guanheng can see right away that his lower body parts are not as strong and defined as his upper body parts. All Guanheng needs to do is distract the guy and sweep him off his feet, quite literally.

His opponent is starting to lose his breath. And temper, judging from the way his punches become even harder and aimed at Guanheng’s face. Finally Guanheng sees a window of opportunity when the guy lets his guard down and throws an uppercut to his jaw and another right hook. The guy stumbles hard from the punches and Guanheng tackles him. He falls to the ground, hard, and lays motionless as Xuxi starts to count.

“...eight, nine, ten! The winner of the contest is Huang Guanheng of the Keraton Selatan!” Xuxi shouts, his voice booming across the arena. The adrenaline rushes through Guanheng, everything moving in slow motion. The sounds fading out into white noise. Guanheng stares at his opponent on the ground, now struggling to get up. He sees the guy extending one hand for a handshake, and although begrudgingly, he congratulates Guanheng.

He sees Yangyang jumping out of his seat and running across the arena, knocking him down for a hug and screaming in his ear. Guanheng hugs him back, laughing when Yangyang ruffles his hair. He sees the hand offered by Xuxi and takes it, pulling himself up. He sees Dejun kneeling in front of Ten and Kun on their royal seats, Kun handing her what seems like a headpiece. He sees the relief in Ten’s face.

Today Dejun seems glowing, even more so than usual. She is in a green strapless dress with gold linings, a silky sash around her shoulders. Her gold headpiece makes her look even more stunning and regal. Dejun gets up and turns around, staring straight at him. Xuxi gestures for Guanheng to follow him and Guanheng does without taking his eyes off Dejun. A ghost of smile plays on her lips, prompting Guanheng to grin as well. 

It is not until when he stands before Dejun does the victory really hit him. Dejun is holding a _blangkon,_ a headpiece worn by the residents of Keraton. Her smile blooms wide with him in front of her and Guanheng can’t keep the grin off his face.

“The General will put on the sacred _blangkon_ on the victor, symbolizing the acceptance of the victor to the royal family of Keraton Selatan as her future spouse.” Xuxi announces. “Will the victor please kneel for the procession,” he continues and Guanheng kneels in front of Dejun. He feels the _blangkon_ being put on his head. A rush of giddiness crashes through him.

“The victor now may rise again. Huang Guanheng of Keraton Selatan, everybody!” 

* * *

“...the first mortal ever to literally win Dejun’s heart. Not literally her heart, but you did win. Thank you for everything you’ve done, thank you for saving the Keraton. To Huang Guanheng, our victor!” 

A round of applause thunders through the table as Ten ends her toast. Sicheng gives him a bright smile and a pat on the shoulder, saying, “I told you so,” and Xuxi gives him a congratulatory hug.

Just like they did the day before, a dinner party is thrown to celebrate Guanheng’s victory. Yangyang even loans him a set of royal attire to wear, a special suit called _beskap_ to wear with his _blangkon._ He helped Guanheng put it on before he puts on his own _beskap_.

“Now you’re set to marry Dejun and live happily ever after,” Yangyang jokes. Guanheng winces. “Too soon?”

“Too soon.”

The celebration is grand, even more extravagant cuisines served on a silver platter. Guanheng tries tasty desserts and savory dishes, which all tasted divine on his tongue. He even tasted an array of alcoholic beverages, foreign to his tongue. He decided he likes _ciu_ the most, a sugarcane-based alcohol drink, to which sparked a debate between Yangyang and Xuxi on which drink is the best. They spent the night laughing and talking and congratulating him. 

At the end of the dinner, Dejun gives her own toast.

“Attention, everyone,” she says, rising out of her seat, “Firstly, I would like to thank our governor, Sicheng, whose clever strategy saved me and the kingdom. Also Yangyang, who helped Sicheng arrange all of this. Thank you, to both of you.” Dejun gives a small nod to the two. “Secondly, I would like to thank the Queen and the Panembahan1 for supporting this idea and approve of it. We would be lost without your guidance.” 

Ten and Kun raised their glasses in appreciation, to which Dejun raised her glass too. “Thirdly, thank you Huang Xuxi, for the never-ending understanding and partnership between us. May the Keraton prosper under your leadership.”

Dejun pauses and takes a deep breath. She turns to Guanheng, and speaks. 

“Lastly, my deepest gratitude goes to Huang Guanheng. You have done so much for us and I think I speak for everyone when I say we owe you. None of this would have happened if you weren’t here and won the contest. To Huang Guanheng, the first mortal who has ever saved Keraton Selatan.”

Everyone raised their glasses to toast him. Dejun smiles, but it’s wistful and there’s a pensive look in her eyes and Guanheng doesn’t know why.

Half an hour later, Sicheng excused herself early, and then Ten and Kun also retreated to their room. Guanheng is surprised Dejun is not one of the ones who excused herself early, even Xuxi also expressed his confusion upon seeing Dejun still talking with them late into the night. She gave a small shove to Xuxi who only grinned wide.

At the end, the remaining four at the table had to bring Xuxi back to his room because he got way too drunk on _arak_ , a traditional alcoholic drink made from rice. It was quite a feat having to keep Xuxi who is almost twice their sizes stand upright, with the boy singing on top of his lungs and trying to dance his way out of their grip.

“Does he get like this often?” Guanheng grunts, struggling to hold Xuxi. Yangyang slungs Xuxi’s other hand around him.

“We don’t really drink much, but yes, he gets like this every time he drinks,” Dejun answers from in front of them, leading the way to Xuxi’s room. Yangyang snorts.

“This is actually nothing. Hey, Dejun, remember when he threw up in the courtyard onto the roses? Sicheng almost had a heart attack.”

Dejun laughs as they reached Xuxi’s bedroom. She holds the door open while Guanheng and Yangyang guide the intoxicated man inside. He flops unceremoniously onto the bed, instantly passed out. He didn’t even take off his shoes, but neither of them made a move to remove it.

“God, we should never let Xuxi drink again,” Yangyang says when they’ve stepped out of his room. “Well, I’m off to bed now. Guanheng, let’s go.”

It’s then that Guanheng realized: tonight is his last night in the Keraton. How could he forget? Once his services are no longer needed by Dejun, he would be back again on land, leaving the Keraton behind. Leaving Dejun behind. 

He is going to leave without telling Dejun how he really feels.

Guanheng is completely sure he’s never felt like this about anyone. Heck, he doesn’t think in his 20 years of existence he’s ever been in love before. But this thing with Dejun feels different. When he sees her, he feels like she takes his breath away. His stomach twists in knots and it feels like he can’t get enough of her. It’s like he didn’t realize there was something missing, but then he met her, and everything makes sense. 

It feels calming but at the same time, a storm wrecks his brain and heart. It's like when he just got off the most nerve-wracking rollercoaster ride of his life. He is both exhilarated and grounded at the same time, and he doesn’t know how that could possible be.

A surge of unprecedented confidence rushes through him when he sees Dejun is also rooted on her spot. It’s almost like she’s waiting for them to say something. There’s a look of subtle longing in her eyes and Guanheng almost fools himself into believing that it was for him.

“Actually,” Guanheng starts, “I think I’m going to stay a bit late, if that’s okay.” 

Yangyang’s eyebrows disappear high behind his bangs and his eyes flit between Dejun and Guanheng, trying to figure out something behind the sudden request. Finally he relents and bids good night to the two, leaving them to go to his room.

Soon, Dejun and Guanheng are left alone in the hallway just outside Xuxi’s room. Dejun’s eyes are trained on the ground and a hint of pink color her cheeks, which is very unlike her. Guanheng wants to coo at the sight of a shy Dejun but catches himself before he does anything he regrets.

“I need to—”

“Do you—”

The two spoke at the same time, overlapping each other. Guanheng rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment as Dejun laughs delicately. It seems like Dejun has gained back some of her usual poise, because she is finally looking up at Guanheng and smiling.

“You first.”

Guanheng clears his throat and braces himself. “I need to tell you something.”

“Okay,” she says, a sparkle in her eyes. “Why don’t you walk me to my room while telling me?”

“I— okay.”

Guanheng walks besides Dejun, who he just realized is _small._ She is almost half a head shorter than him, the top of her head only reaching his eyes. Apparently the idiom “small but deadly” is not only applicable to his brother Renjun but also Dejun, who is admittedly fifty times scarier than the tall and large Xuxi.

“So, what did you want to say?”

“I…” Guanheng’s short-lived confidence wavers. And he can’t seem to think with her hand just mere inches from his, there for him if he decides to lace their fingers together.

Guanheng shakes his head, stopping in place. Dejun halts her steps as well, turning around to face him, confusion written all over her face.

“I just, I’m sorry. I can’t do this while we’re walking. I—” Guanheng reaches for Dejun’s hand, grasping it in his. He looks at her right in the eyes and finally says what he’s been harboring inside.

“Xiao Dejun, I am in love with you. Since the moment I laid eyes on you. I don’t know why or how, and I can’t stop thinking about last night. And now I won this contest, for you, but I know that this is impossible. _We_ are impossible. You’re a goddess, a royalty in an underwater kingdom, and I’m… me.”

And then something soft touches his lips.

Guanheng instinctively wraps his arms around the figure in front of him as she deepens the kiss, putting her arms around his neck. He is almost lost in the sensation when Dejun pulls back, tiptoeing with her arms still around his neck.

Her face is flushed but she is smiling and he is still hugging her. Her breath mingles with his with how close they are. Their foreheads touch each other’s and Guanheng knows he should let go but not tonight, not when she’s kissing him like this and lets him pull her close.

“One night,” she says softly against his lips, “just be with me.”

Guanheng wants more than one night. He wants a thousand nights, a whole lifetime. But in this lifetime, he’s not the love of her life, even though it feels like she is his. 

“Okay,” he answers, and she pulls him to her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Panembahan title is one level above the title Prince but not yet a King. In this case, Panembahan refers to Kun. Back


	6. purwa madya wasana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> purwa madya wasana.
> 
>  _Javanese;_ the beginning, the middle, and the end.
> 
> —
> 
> Not in this lifetime.

Sunlight streams through the sliver of windowpane that isn't covered by the blinds, hitting Guanheng right in the face and waking him up from his night sleep. Blinking awake, he woke up to a head of dark brown hair in front of him with his arms hugging said owner of dark hair. His cheeks warm when he remembers their activities from last night, which resulted in Dejun still curled up in his arms. 

Her small frame is easily caged in by Guanheng’s larger form behind her and the length of Guanheng’s arm can wrap itself around her whole midriff, which is exactly what he is doing. He pulls Dejun closer to him, feeling her stir lightly but not yet awake. Guanheng kisses the top of her head affectionately and tightens his hold on her. He buries his face in her hair. It smells like coconut, he faintly registers the scent, as he tucks her hair behind her ear. 

Dejun is so, so beautiful in the faint sunlight, skin glowing and eyelashes fluttering with every breath. The hard lines of her face that are always present during the day, even more so when she’s on the battlefield or in the middle of an argument, disappear into softer planes of her sweet face. Peace is not an expression Guanheng sees frequently on Dejun's face, but right now everything about her screams peace.

Guanheng runs his hand on her arms and slips his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together. Her hands are so delicate for a warrior who excels at swordfights. 

Guanheng kisses close enough to her ear. His mind drifts as he gently rubs small circles just underneath her collarbone, staring through the windows to watch the green sea outside, anemones and seaweeds slowly swaying with the current.

He thinks about the moment he drowned and all the things that follow after. Being saved by Dejun really did turn his whole life, his whole perception of reality, upside down. He never thought a world like this existed: a mythical land, fabled legend that only a handful of people lived to tell the story, if the story was told at all. But here he is, catching feelings for a Javanese underwater female warrior and lying in bed with said warrior after spending the night together.

Dejun had made it very clear, since the first time they met, that she made an oath to only marry men who are stronger than her. Which admittedly, makes very much sense. It is the most logical thing to do in the world. Dejun is the General of the Southern Sea— of course she wouldn’t settle for a man who is of lesser power than her, let alone a mortal. 

Like Guanheng.

Dejun is completely out of his league. Out of his realm, to be exactly literal. She is a warrior deity, practically a goddess of her own, judging by how long she’s existed. 

The woman in Guanheng’s arms stirred awake, snapping him out of his reverie. She cracks one eye open only to find Guanheng planting a kiss on her cheek. He trails his kisses down to her neck gently as she sighs. The kiss ended on the hollow of her collarbone, where his lips lingered for a moment too long before flicking up his eyes to meet hers. Her cheeks are suddenly blossoming with red, which she tries to cover by turning around to hide in his chest.

Guanheng, a bit startled, wrapped his hands around her again only to realize what was happening. Laughter rumbles out of his chest as he pulls her closer, her body flush against his.

“So I finally broke your calm, huh?” He teased as Dejun remained buried in his arms. Dejun usually carried herself with a confident, intimidating aura, complete with her allure and charm. In whatever situation, never have Guanheng ever seen her break her calm and composure. Hundreds of years of being a warrior does that to you, he thinks.

Who thought that she’s actually very easily flustered when together in bed?

Dejun answers are muffled. “What?” Guanheng asks. She answers but it still came out faint, so he repeats. By then, Dejun finally lifts her head up from Guanheng’s chest and boldly reaches to cup his face and presses her lips on his.

Guanheng’s hand instinctively shot up to cradle Dejun’s head, fingers weaving through her locks. The other slips down to encircle her slim waist. He nibbles on her bottom lip, asking for entrance, which she granted pliantly. She lets out a soft moan as his tongue maps out the inner part of her mouth. Her fingers are carding through his hair, lightly tugs when he tightens his grip.

Guanheng moves to lay on his back without letting Dejun go, bringing her to be on top of him. She yelps lightly before letting Guanheng pull her in to continue kissing her. Dejun smiles into the kiss, feeling Guanheng’s hands running on her back, resting low on her hips. She slowly kisses his jaw, coming down to his neck, and nibbles on his ear that makes Guanheng suppressing his groan.

Dejun plants a soft kiss on his lips and pulls back. Guanheng instantly misses the warmth. “Come on,” she says, wrapping the sheets around her as she stands. She extends a hand to Guanheng, who rolls over and takes her hand. She pulls him towards the bathroom, closing the door behind them.

Dejun lets the sheets fall around her and resumes kissing Guanheng, giggling. Guanheng roams his hand all over Dejun’s body, hooking his hand underneath her thigh and wraps it around his hips. He’s rock hard by now and he can feel her wetness. Guanheng experimentally rubs on Dejun and she moans loudly into his mouth.

“Guanheng, don’t— _ah_ , tease!”

Grinning against her lips, Guanheng reaches down to rub on her clit, drawing circles over and over again until Dejun can't help but buck up her hips. He picks up at that specific spot and Dejun has to push hands hands off, breaking the kiss to slide down and kneel.

Dejun keeps eye contact with him and Guanheng groans, holding on to the wall next to him as Dejun wraps a hand around the base of his hard cock and gives kittenish licks to the tip. Slowly, she puts his cock in her mouth and he lets out a moan.

“ _Ah_ _—_ Fuck, Dejun _—”_

Dejun hums, the vibrations making Guanheng even more delirious with need. He cards his hand through Dejun’s hair as she bobs her head, taking his cock inch by inch until she reaches the base. She runs her tongue on his length and swirling around his head. Feeling himself getting closer, Guanheng slides his cock out of Dejun’s mouth, eliciting a confused sound out of her. 

Guanheng pulls her up to her feet and pins her to the wall. He positioned himself against her entrance and pushed in. Dejun lets out a drawn-out moan, whimpering when he settles inside of her. Dejun’s eyes roll back in bliss as Guanheng reaches the hilt, because he fills her up so deliciously and she needs time to adjust to being so full of him.

Guanheng looks at her in concern, waiting for a sign it’s okay for him to move. 

“Move,” she said breathlessly and he slides out until only the tip of his cock is inside her, and slams back in, earning a surprised gasp from Dejun. The way her walls clench around his cockis driving him crazy, and the heat is so tempting.

Guanheng sets a pace at first but Dejun keeps clenching around him unconsciously, moans spilling from her lips every so often, and he snaps. He groans and starts fucking into her harder.

“Guanheng, _ah_ _—_ ” Dejun gasped. He slings her leg onto his shoulder that she’s almost bent in half.

The second he thrusts in, Dejun lets out a high-pitched desperate whine. 

“Guanheng, right _—_ there _—_ ” she stutters, gripping Guanheng’s arms. He brutally pounded into her, reducing her into whimpers and broken moans. Guanheng kept pushing into her bundle of nerves, making Dejun lose her mind and desperately moaning.

Guanheng moved his hips a bit and the angle got so much better that Dejun felt the air knocked right out her lungs. Her nerves are heightened and she’s getting more sensitive, the telltale sign of her impending release.

“Close,” she whimpers brokenly. 

“Come for me, Jun,” Guanheng says, looking into her eyes while still pistoning into her with full force, hitting her spot over and over again. Dejun surges forward and plants a deep kiss on Guanheng’s lips.

Dejun comes hard, letting out a lewd broken moan as she comes, coating Guanheng’s dick with her come. Guanheng keeps thrusting into her, milking her orgasm. It doesn’t take long for his thrusts to become erratic and he buries himself one last time inside Dejun’s heat, coming with a groan.

They spent the next few minutes just staring into each other’s eyes, Guanheng tucking a strand of stray hair behind Dejun’s ear. He kisses her forehead and laces their hands together.

Guanheng would give his life just to wake up next to Dejun everyday.

They finally do get around to showering, finishing an hour later because they can’t keep their hands off each other. 

Everyone is happy and sad by the time the two reach the dining room, commemorating Guanheng’s last breakfast in the Keraton. Yangyang is also there and he’s torn between being sad because Guanheng is going away and teasing him for spending the night with Dejun. In the end, he did wiggle his eyebrows suggestively to Guanheng once but got caught by Dejun. She glares at him and he cowers in his seat.

It seems like no one wants to finish their breakfast quickly, savoring Guanheng’s last moments. Even Ten and Kun look like they’re chewing slower, just so their meals aren’t quickly finished.

Guanheng himself feels conflicted inside. On one hand, he loves being in the Keraton. He finally settles to life there, being under Xuxi’s care and being Yangyang’s friend. Not to mention being with Dejun, who he personally thinks is the love of his life but won’t ever say out loud because they exist in different realms. But on the other hand, he has a life on land too. He can’t imagine leaving it all behind with no goodbyes. His parents, Renjun, his friends.

He’s going back anyway, because he can’t stay. He doesn’t even know if he can, but he thinks he doesn’t want to know, because he knows he will choose to stay if there’s a way for him.

* * *

Ten tells him how the returning is going to work: he’s supposed to walk through the gates of Keraton and keep walking without looking back, and he’s going to end up back on the shore where he came from. She also gives him a small wooden box. “We owed you. This is the best we can give to repay you for what you did for us, I hope it’s enough.”

Inside the box is a block of uncut jade, beautiful in its rawness. Guanheng’s jaw drop. 

“I can’t accept this,” he says, closing the box and tries to hand it back to Ten. She laughs and assures him that he deserves it, after everything he’s done. “You saved our kingdom,” she says matter-of-factly, like that explains everything. Finally Guanheng relents and keeps the box, although he still thinks that it’s too much. 

“So… this is it, I guess,” Guanheng says, standing before the gate. A feeling of melancholy creeps in as he takes a good look at each and every member of the Keraton sending him off.

This is it. This is really it. Guanheng is never going to see any of them again. He’s never going back to this place, to see the courtyard with trees and roses and surrounded by water. He will no longer wake up in the morning and the first thing he sees are flounders swimming past his window. There won’t be any back-cracking training from Xuxi again. Yangyang won’t pester him ever again. He won’t see Sicheng’s calm reaction to literally anything anymore. He won’t see Ten and Kun and wonders when he will get to experience love like that.

“Before I leave, I would like to thank every person here. Yangyang, thank you for being my friend while I’m here. You’re a little shit, and I mean it in the best way possible.” Yangyang’s eyes are watering and Guanheng pretends he doesn’t feel the teardrops falling onto his shoulder as he hugs Yangyang for the last time.

“Xuxi, thank you for your ruthless training regime. I’m pretty sure I cracked a few ribs while I’m here, but I’m sure what you taught me will help me later in life. One more thing, buddy? Please don’t ever get drunk again.” A wet chuckle escapes Xuxi’s lips as he bear-hugs Guanheng, not even bothering to hide his tears. “Stay safe, Guanheng.”

“I will. Next, Sicheng. God, what would I do without your magic on that first day? Thank you for always guiding me while I’m here and not letting Yangyang do stupid things to me. That really means a lot.” Sicheng smiles warmly at him, and even though the sadness is evident on her face, she doesn’t cry.

Guanheng bows to Ten and Kun. “Your Majesty, I thank your hospitality deeply, for taking me in and treating me so well. For a second, I thought to ask how to permanently stay here, but— nope, don’t answer that,” Guanheng quickly said when Ten exchanged glances with Kun and opens her mouth, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“No, Guanheng, thank _you,”_ Ten says, sniffling. Kun hugs and pats him on the back, wishing him all the best luck.

Dejun’s expression is sad and wistful and Guanheng can sense the bittersweetness. He wants nothing more to just wrap her in his arms and kiss the top of her head and never let go. He doesn’t even know _how_ to say goodbye to her. There are just too many things left unsaid. This is the hardest goodbye because this is not a goodbye that will be accompanied by another hello. 

This is goodbye for the rest of his life.

It’s Dejun who initiated the hug. Guanheng buries his face on her shoulder, desperately holding back his tears. When she pulls back, his first instinct was to refuse, wanting to keep her in his arms. But then he sees the unshed tears in her eyes and he realizes that this farewell hurts her just as much as it hurts him.

He can barely even speak. “Thank you,” he says, trying not to choke, “for everything, Xiao Dejun.” _I love you,_ he adds in his mind, _I always will._

And then Guanheng kisses her.

When Guanheng breaks the kiss, there are tear tracks on Dejun’s face. 

“Stay safe, Huang Guanheng,” she says, her voice on the edge of breaking, “don’t forget to be happy.”

The last thing Guanheng sees before he walks through the gate is Dejun’s smile.

* * *

It felt like a dream.

Guanheng keeps walking, trying hard not to look back, until he reaches what feels like wet sand under his feet. On the fourhundredth step (yes, he counts his step, just so he wouldn’t be tempted to turn around), he reappears on the shore of Sendiki Beach, dry as a bone. Only the seams of his pants are wet while he walks through the shallows waves up to the beach.

Time flies differently in the Keraton, because the sun has just risen by the time Guanheng reaches the beach. Sunrise illuminates the water, reflected on the water as Guanheng watches it rise slowly. He opens the box, examining the jade when something gold caught his eye from inside the box. 

It was a small green pendant, similar to what Dejun. Guanheng takes it out of the box slowly, afraid that it would break. Tears are streaming down his face as he puts it on. 

Renjun and Jaemin found him sitting on the edge of the water just an hour later, still staring at the vast expanse of the sea.

“Hey, what time did you get back last night?” Renjun asks, taking a seat next to him.

Guanheng turns to look at him, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Last night?”

“Yeah, you went out for a walk. I’m sorry we didn’t wait for you to get back, we were so tired.”

 _Time works differently here,_ he recalls Sicheng say. While it felt like it had been weeks when he was in the Keraton, only one night passed in this realm. It was like he never left.

Guanheng looks back one last time at the sea. He swears he sees a glimmer of gold in the sea of green, and he smiles as he tucks in the pendant inside his shirt. 

* * *

_Dear Guanheng,_

_I have never been very good with words, but I will try my best to convey what I have been feeling._

_There is a saying in Javanese, “witing tresno jalaran soko kulino”. Love comes as time goes by. As you know, I have never experienced love before. I don’t understand what romantic love is. Then came you._

_I fell in love with you, over time. And I realized-- falling in love feels amazing. Falling in love with you feels even more so. But fate was so cruel to make me fall in love with you, someone I could never have. And it was even more cruel when it decided to make you love me too._

_The worst part is that when love comes, there is no more time for us._ _Because we don’t belong with each other. Not in this lifetime._

_But I need to tell you this:_

_You are my first and last love. In case one day you wake up doubting if someone out there still cares, please remember that I will always love you._

_Forever yours,_

_Xiao Dejun_

_General of Southern Sea._

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reaching the end!
> 
> i hope you liked this fic, but if you didn't please leave a constructive criticism!! if you liked it, please leave comments as well hehe ^_^
> 
> (long ass note ahead)
> 
> this fic started as a passion project, because i wanted to write a piece of literature based on my culture (which i've never been able to before) and share the story of my culture to people, through a media that is easily understood and enjoyed.
> 
> it evolved into something more: i learnt more about my own culture in the process, and subsequently myself, because the things i found during the research for this fic helped me understand myself more as a woman of Javanese descent.
> 
> the prompt was based on a mythical sea creature called Nyi Roro Kidul, a legendary figure in my culture. i am of Javanese descent and i grew up in the city where this story took place, so naturally i have heard quite a lot about Nyi. 
> 
> this story is half-true and half-fiction: half-true because i wanted to fix the wrong perception that has been going around about Nyi, half-fiction because of everything else.
> 
> this part may be only comprehensible to Indonesian ppl who have heard of Nyi, but Nyi has been mistaken for several other mythical figures in the legends, creating the "evil" impression of her that she lures and seduces men in the Southern Beaches. this is untrue. Nyi is not evil nor does she lure men. that is her evil "twin", Nyi Blorong. 
> 
> Nyi Roro Kidul, however, is a General, a warrior, and she made an oath to not marry men who are lesser than her. Nyi is the feminist mythical legend badass that little girls of my culture (and any other as well) should look up to.
> 
> aspire to be like Nyi, kids. 
> 
> once again, thank you to yaya, dara, and kak ila for the continuous support and showers of appreciation (all of whom are of Javanese descent). 
> 
> and thank you to you, again, for reaching the end of the notes.
> 
> twitter: [weishenvelvet](https://twitter.com/weishenvelvet)  
> cc: [ultravires](https://curiouscat.me/ultravires)


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